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Food Poisoning

January 16, 2018

Food poisoning (foodborne illness) is caused by bacteria or viruses found in food.

Millions of Americans get food poisoning each year.

Food poisoning symptoms often look like stomach flu (gastroenteritis). Many people with a mild case think they have stomach flu or a virus.

Most food poisoning is caused by eating food that has certain types of bacteria or viruses. When you eat these foods, the bacteria keeps growing in your digestive tract. This causes an infection.

Foods can also make you ill if they have a toxin or poison made by bacteria growing in the food.

Several types of bacteria can cause food poisoning. Among the more common bacteria are:

Salmonella and Campylobacter

May be found in meat, poultry, and eggs that are raw or not cooked long enough (undercooked)

Can be found in dairy products that haven’t gone through a high-heat process to kill bacteria (are unpasteurized)

Can be found in raw fruits and vegetables

Clostridium perfringens

May be found in raw meat, poultry, eggs, or unpasteurized dairy foods

Can be found in vegetables and crops that have touched soil

Can cause food poisoning when soups, stew, and gravies made with meat, fish, or poultry are not refrigerated

Listeria

May be found in unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk

May also be found in deli meats, hot dogs, and store-made deli salads

Staphylococcus aureus

Can spread to food when touched by someone with the bacteria

Can cause infection when foods such as meats and egg salad are not refrigerated

Escherichia coli (E. coli)

Can cause infection if you eat beef that is undercooked, mainly ground beef

Can be found in unpasteurized milk

Can be found in food or water that is contaminated

You can also get food poisoning from viral diseases such as Hepatitis A. These viral diseases:

Can pass from an infected person’s hands to the hands of food workers or into waste water (sewage)

Can spread when shellfish and other foods have touched unsafe, dirty water

Botulism is a rare but deadly form of food poisoning. It is caused by a bacteria (clostridium botulinum) that is found all over, even in soil and water.

Botulism can happen when:

You eat low-acid foods that are not properly canned or preserved at home. These foods include meat, fish, poultry, or vegetables.

Infants eat raw honey or corn syrup. Babies younger than 1 year old should never have honey or corn syrup.

Anyone can get food poisoning. But some people are more likely to get it than others. They are also at greater risk of getting very ill from it. This is because their body’s disease-fighting system (immune system) doesn’t work well.

People who are at greater risk include:

Young children. Their immune systems aren’t fully developed yet.

Older adults. Their immune systems don't work as well. Age-related changes in our senses of taste and smell also make it easier to eat contaminated food by mistake.

Pregnant women. A woman’s immune system changes during pregnancy. The unborn baby is also at risk.

People with long-term (chronic) disease. People with diseases such as diabetes or cancer have weaker immune systems.

Food poisoning symptoms can look like the symptoms of stomach flu (gastroenteritis). Many people with mild cases of food poisoning think they have stomach flu.

The time it takes food poisoning symptoms to start can vary. Illness often starts in about 1 to 3 days. But symptoms can start any time from 30 minutes to 3 weeks after eating contaminated food. The length of time depends on the type of bacteria or virus causing the illness.

Each person’s symptoms may vary. Symptoms can range from very mild to very serious. They can last from a few hours to several days. Symptoms may include:

Belly cramps

Watery or bloody diarrhea

Nausea and vomiting

Headache

Fever

Belly bloating and gas

Food poisoning symptoms may look like other health problems. Always see your healthcare provider to be sure.

Your healthcare provider will ask you when you became sick, what your symptoms are, and what foods you have eaten.

Your provider will also look at your past health. He or she will give you a physical exam.

You may have lab tests to find out what bacteria caused your illness. In some cases the cause can’t be found.

Most mild cases of food poisoning are treated the same as stomach flu (gastroenteritis). If you have diarrhea or vomiting, you may lose a lot of fluids (get dehydrated). The goal is to replace your lost fluids and ease your symptoms.

For some types of bacterial food poisoning, your health care provider may give you a medicine that fights bacteria (an antibiotic). Antibiotics don’t work on infections caused by a virus.

Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm soapy water before and after touching raw meat, poultry, shellfish, fish, eggs, or produce.

Wash all fruits and vegetables well before eating

Use plastic cutting boards for cutting raw fish, poultry, or meat. They are easier to keep clean.

All utensils and surfaces should be washed with warm soapy water before and after they are used to prepare food. One quart of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of bleach can be used to sanitize surfaces and utensils.

Cook poultry, beef, and eggs for the right amount of time before eating

Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods

Use a meat thermometer to ensure foods are cooked to an appropriate internal temperature.

When choosing food to eat be sure to:

Not have any food made from unpasteurized milk

Not have any food made from raw or undercooked eggs, poultry and meat

When storing food be sure to:

Refrigerate or freeze raw and cooked perishable foods right away. If they are at room temperature for more than 2 hours, consider them unsafe to eat.